


It's Scary When It's So Beautiful

by sonicshambles



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fake Marriage, space weddings, whouffaldi first kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 11:06:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5705338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonicshambles/pseuds/sonicshambles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'One of the many things Clara now knew about life beyond her home planet was that accidentally getting married was an easy mistake to make when so many alien marriage rituals resembled normal Earth activities. On several occasions she narrowly escaped unintentional wedded bliss and repeatedly assisted the Doctor in doing the same. Until now these incidents involved other people and not each other.</p><p>His voice was very low when he responded and Clara needed to lean in to catch every word.</p><p>"We're not married. We just need everyone in this room to believe we are."'</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Scary When It's So Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> Written for antennapedia's [Whouffaldi First Kiss Challenge](http://antennapedia.tumblr.com/post/136795315863/whouffaldi-first-kiss-challenge).

Space weddings and earth weddings were equally dull affairs when you didn't know anyone and the DJ refused to play anything danceable. For the past hour Clara continued to perfect the nod and smile she'd gotten so good at during the endless parade of coworkers and friends from uni getting married. At least at space weddings she didn't have to speak in code regarding her travels with the Doctor, or at least not to the same extent. Given her deep suspicion in regards to the Doctor's insistence that they were there for a change of pace and nothing more she was still guarded in her conversations about them. Of course the harder it got not to fall asleep mid-conversation the more tempting it became to say something with the potential to cause an incident. 

Clara was seconds away from explaining to the party she was stuck behind in line at the bar that she knew all about what really caused the fall of the Bank of Karabraxos when a hand pulled her out of the line. A smile broke across her face as the Doctor-shaped blur dragged her to a corner of the ballroom. 

"Finally! I knew we were here because something was going to happen. What is it? And how much is it going to make me regret wearing these heels and this dress - Doctor?!"

He hadn't let go of her hand but Clara was too giddy at the thought of action and adventure to pay any attention to what his free hand was doing until it slipped a gold band onto her ring finger. 

"We're married. Don't ask questions."

His eyes pleaded with her to obey but questions were all Clara had. 

"What? Really? Was it something we walked under? Did we drink something at the same time? Or eat something in a certain order?"

One of the many things Clara now knew about life beyond her home planet was that accidentally getting married was an easy mistake to make when so many alien marriage rituals resembled normal Earth activities. On several occasions she narrowly escaped unintentional wedded bliss and repeatedly assisted the Doctor in doing the same. Until now these incidents involved other people and not each other.

His voice was very low when he responded and Clara needed to lean in to catch every word. 

"We're not married. We just need everyone in this room to believe we are. Apparently it's bad luck for anyone unmarried to attend a wedding on this planet and if it's discovered you are than you are forced to immediately marry someone of the bride and groom's choosing. Since the assumption is everyone else at the wedding is married your new spouse is usually a prisoner they bring up from the dungeon and when the reception is over you join them down in the dungeon."

The Doctor glanced around the room as he spoke but with her back to the crowd Clara had no clue what he was looking at or for.

"That's...strange but if you say so. Next question, why don't we just leave?" Her voice took on a teasing tone. "I mean, you look so handsome in that suit I'd love to see you in it longer but if we are just here for a change of pace than maybe there's another wedding to crash on a nearby planet."

She let a smile slip across her face when the Doctor looked down at his outfit and cringed. Earlier in the day they had a massive row in the TARDIS when he tried to exit in his beat up hoodie and plaid pants even after seeing the cocktail dress Clara was wearing. It took Clara threatening to strip his clothes off him herself for him to stomp into the wardrobe and change into a fancy black suit. Celebrating her victory aside, handsome was an understatement for how she thought he looked in it. Until he slipped away from her seconds before it looked like dancing might happen she hadn't been able to take her eyes off him. 

He caught her smile and Clara watched him struggle not to match it with a smug one of his own. Instead he cleared his throat and glanced around the room.

"We may not just be here for a change of pace -"

She sighed in relief which seemed to surprise him.

"Go on."

"I suspect the groom may be in disguise and is actually from a planet that has been attempting to conquer this planet for several thousand years. Clara, I'm sorry, but you may have noticed that instead of this being the wedding between two average people I told you it was that the bride is in fact the daughter of the president."

Clara cupped the sides of his face and beamed up at him. Only he was close enough to see that her eyes shone with mirth instead of love. "Doctor, you will be very happy to know you married a smart one. I noticed that the second we walked past several layers of security to get to the ceremony not to mention how everyone addressed the mother of the bride as President."

"I can see now how that would be obvious."

"Two more questions."

He groaned but nodded at her to proceed.

"What's the plan and why did you have a wedding ring in your pocket?"

"I'm working on the plan and I make sure my pockets are always full of everything I don't expect to need since those always end up being what I need the most."

"Our five minutes of marriage must have already softened me because that last part actually made sense. Of course I also have strong views on spouses sharing responsibilities equally and fully expect to play an equal role in this plan."

He nodded and gently slid his arm through her's. As he slowly steered her back towards the center of the room he whispered in her ear.

"I was able to get close enough to the groom to initiate a full body scan. My glasses are in my pocket and will beep at me when the scan is complete. It could take awhile since it is set to detect any and every way a person can disguise their body. Right now we need to blend in and wait for it to finish. I'll let you know when I've figured out what we do should our groom turn out not to be who he says he is."

She glanced up at him. 

"Maybe I'll tell you when I've figured out what to do if that happens."

The Doctor shrugged and his expression indicated that was something he was open to. The reaction was a pleasant surprise and Clara clutched her arm tighter around his. 

"Clearly our brief union has softened you as well."

With that the Doctor dragged back towards the dark corner of the room and Clara allowed herself a brief second to ponder all of the reasons why. When they stopped she glanced up at him with a curious and ever so slightly hopeful look on her face.

"We need to make sure our stories are straight."

She quickly assumed a serious, all business expression and suppressed any hint of disappointment. 

"Of course. I'm trying to think of anything I said earlier to anyone that might give us away. Actually, now that I think about, I mostly talked about you."

He breathed out a laugh. 

"Same here, I mean, in that I mostly talked about you. I wasn't trying to but as I told the story of our most recent visit to The Unending Gardens of Valor, our time in the poppies field came up -"

"- You actually admitted to someone I saved you from a field of tiny flowers?"

" - no, just that we were there. In any case, it's how I found about this idiotic rule in the first place. The woman I was talking to let me know she was glad to hear I had a wife and one who sounded so lovely. Before I could correct her she further informed me she had been about to turn me in because she thought I was alone."

"Oh - well - happy to save us by giving you so much to talk about minus the whole part where I saved your life."

He coughed and raised his eyebrows in his signature time to change the subject move. 

"We've been married, how long?"

Clara went with the first number that popped in her head. 

"Eight months."

He frowned down at her. 

"Why eight?"

As she realized why her cheeks burned so hot it was impossible for her to believe he wasn't able to see what color they were no matter how dark the corner they stood in was. 

"That's how long it's been since Christmas."

"Oh."

The silence that grew after that was heavy and hovered on the border of comfortable and uncomfortable. Neither of them seemed able to look at the other but Clara tried to collect herself enough to think and finally broke the silence.

"Eight months. We were together a year before that. We met at work and still work together since that's what the psychic paper said when we walked in. It was a small ceremony because our families don't approve. We live in a very large blue house, love to travel, and are in no hurry to start a family."

"Why not?"

"Seriously? Ummm...our lives are hectic and we're too in love with it being just the two of us."

"Who proposed?"

"You did - no I did - no - you did. But I was prepared to if you didn't."

"Which is why I finally asked."

"And I said yes the very second after you finished asking. It was a struggle to even wait that long."

"And we've enjoyed the last eight months?"

Clara took a deep breath and wondered if her heart beat sounded as loud to him as it did to her. 

"Every second. More than we even imagined. We feel like the the two luckiest people in the universe and like we will be forever."

He slowly nodded. 

"It's a good story."

Something stabbed through her heart as she twisted around what he could have meant by that. They were only able to glance at each other for a second at a time before their eyes were pulled in opposite directions and the dark corner they carved out for themselves felt claustrophobic. Clara slowly reached for the Doctor's hand and took a deep breath in as their palms touched. They silently stepped back towards the crowd and it wasn't until they were surrounded by the brightness and loudness of the festivities that their shoulders relaxed. 

Clara lost track of how much time they spent working the crowd. The only time they weren't holding hands was when they stood with their arms around each other. They talked themselves up as the happiest of newlyweds, drank, schemed to acquire two slices of wedding cake for each of them, drank some more, and after that Clara was even able to get the Doctor on the dance floor. 

The quality of the music had improved as the night wore on and after an uptempo song that found them swinging each other around the next song that played slowed everything down. With no hesitation Clara stepped closer to the Doctor and placed her hands on his shoulders. By some instinct even he possessed he wrapped his arms around her waist and she tucked her head against his chest. They slowly rocked back and forth and as the song progressed found themselves pressed closer and closer together. When the Doctor's fingers started to draw soft lines up and down her back Clara praised her earlier choice of a backless dress so she could feel his touch directly against her skin. Every inch of her that he touched felt warmer and more relaxed and as she settled more of her weight against him her hands stretched up until her fingers were able to entangle themselves in the curls at the bottom of his neck. 

There was no way to tell how long they stood like after the song ended but from the overly amused look on the face of the woman who tapped Clara on her shoulder she guessed it was longer than a few seconds. 

"If you two stay like that you'll miss the fireworks. Everyone's moving out to the lawn."

It was awhile after that before Clara finally lifted her head from the Doctor's chest. The look on his face sent her heart racing and she could only imagine she was looking up at him with the same poorly guarded intensity. Of all the moments full of an opportunity that ever passed between them this seemed like the biggest to her but she found herself unable to be the one to tip them over that edge. Clara silently willed him to be the one to take that step but instead he stepped backwards and disentangled them until they were just holding hands. 

"Shall we go look at the fireworks?"

"We could, sure." At that moment Clara was ready to say yes to anything that equaled the night never ending. "I - what about the groom?"

He stepped closer to her and leaned down. She held her breath until it quickly became apparent he did so to whisper something.

"The scan finished over an hour again. I was wrong. He's exactly who he says he is and no harm to anyone - well minus the looks he was giving the bride's sister. I think there might be something going on there."

Clara laughed and pulled her head back to look up at him.

"Why are we still here if we weren't needed?"

He shrugged but it wasn't close to as casual a gesture as it was meant to look.

"You were having a good time. And - cake."

Her voice was heavy with emotion when she spoke and the rawness of it made it impossible to look at him after the first word was choked out. 

"It was very good cake."

The deep silence between them was only made tolerable in that it was surrounded by the sounds of fireworks exploding and the oohs and awws of the crowd. 

"Fireworks?"

Clara nodded and the Doctor led her outside. Within seconds the cool night air wrapped around her thinly covered body and she shivered. The Doctor's suit jacket was draped around her before she realized he removed it and she nestled into it and the arm that stayed wrapped around her shoulders. They said nothing as they focused their attention on the sky but this time the silence between them was warm and comfortable. By the end she was curled around the side of his body as his fingers drew patterns along the curve of her shoulder.

They took their time joining the wave of people exiting the lawn and when they did it was to split away from the pack and discreetly move towards the side of the building where the TARDIS was parked. Their path took them deeper into the trees and even with the Doctor's jacket on Clara shivered as it grew colder. 

"I will never understand the impracticality of clothing that can't protect you from the most basic of elements."

Clara was a step ahead of the Doctor so he couldn't see the smile that spread across her face at such a predictable reaction from him. He also couldn't see the stunned look it turned into at his next remark.

"Of course, there is how aesthetically pleasing one can look to consider. That was a valid choice of color and style."

Others in her life had more directly called her beautiful and not elicited the thrill Clara felt or inspired her face to glow as much as the Doctor's remark did. She was still glowing when she reached the door of the TARDIS and instead of pulling out her key she turned around. She wiggled the finger that wore the wedding band at him.

"I suppose you'll want this back now that we won't go to jail without it."

"Obviously. I have more pockets to store it in. You're always complaining that not enough dresses come with pockets but still wear them anyway."

"I do. I'm glad we pulled it off. Everyone seemed very convinced by us." 

"They did. Well done."

"Doctor -"

Clara could sense how much the Doctor didn't want to look down at her but to his credit he did and once their eyes locked there was no joke or flippant aside that could reverse the change in mood between them. It was another moment of opportunity and this time Clara was less fearful of pushing it further. She stepped closer to him and rested her hands on his chest, one over each of his hearts. 

"Clara, I -"

She shook her head and willed him not to force them out of this. With all that was unsaid between them even she was slightly afraid of what would slip out now that she felt determined enough to talk. 

"Thank you for tonight."

"Oh - that's - you're welcome?"

His look of relief faded when she pressed closer against him and her hands slid to the back of his neck. Clara was pleasantly surprised to see it replaced not with anxiety but affection and barely concealed traces of deeper emotions. 

"It was an honor to spend the night married to the smartest, funniest, handsomest man in the room. And I know you'll hate this part but you were also the best dancer."

The Doctor managed a shaky laugh and the sound made Clara smile. For a few quiet moments they stood there and held each other. It was almost enough to send Clara content and satisfied into the TARDIS but the moon broke through the branches above them. The bright light danced off his silver curls and shone down on his face as he gazed at her. She knew there was nothing hidden in the way she looked back at him and when that didn't cause him to look away she stretched up until their mouths were able to brush against each other. 

His arms drew tight around her and held her position but at first his mouth hesitated to do more than meet her's for quick, closed mouth kisses. Knowing how long it took him to grow comfortable with the various forms of physical contact they previously established Clara wasn't surprised or disappointed by this turn of events. She moved to press one more closed mouth kiss against his lips before letting go. When their mouths touched she was startled to feel his open slightly. She tilted her head to adjust at the same time he did and their teeth clacked against each other. He only laughed at it after she did and they simultaneously cleared their throats before they moved in for another attempt. 

This time everything lined up perfectly and the biggest challenge was for Clara to let the Doctor lead. Now that she had the smallest taste of kissing him she wanted nothing more than to wrap herself around him and kiss him until their faces hurt. Every inch of her body was humming with a need for him that was as intensely physical in nature as it was emotional. As their mouths pressed closer together his tentative moves gradually grew bolder and looser. It was pure bliss to feel him relax into it and feel his mouth open and lips press more intensely against her. Her ability to think about what they were doing faded as the act grew more passionate and it was all she could do to balance against him as the strength of his arms held her at an angle that made their height difference less of an issue. Her fingers snaked through the curls at the back of his head and he moaned into her mouth when she tugged softly at them. 

Each time they broke apart to catch their breath or adjust their position it would only last a second or two before they resumed kissing. Their mouths were wet and hungry as they poured out ages of pent up desire. The next time they broke apart Clara was surprised to find her back pressed against the TARDIS and the Doctor's jacket in a crumpled heap at her feet. She took several deep breaths and the Doctor did the same as he leaned down to press his forehead against her's. As they re-centered themselves in this new world their actions created Clara rubbed her hands up and down the outside of his arms. It seemed to sooth the Doctor as much as it did her and they finally managed weak smiles as their breathing returned to normal. 

With one bridge crossed they found themselves on the banks of an even larger body of things they didn't know how to talk about and could only stand there with identical smiles. It seemed the type of situation that needed to be acknowledged but it was hard enough to meet and keep his gaze and the wonder mixed with nervousness in his eyes matched what Clara felt. To not run away from this was an easier thing to hope for than to talk about it. Clara knew to the very core of her being that this wasn't just a first kiss but a first of many but expressing anything close to that seemed beyond her in that moment. She had waited so long for this and could wait for more. What she wanted most in that moment was to feel his arms around for a few moments longer, to step hand in hand with him into the TARDIS, and to enjoy the simple feeling of the two of them being together where they belonged until the next moment came along that pushed them towards something more. 

Clara suspected he read her mind or simply had another moment of wanting and feeling exactly what she did because with a light kiss to her forehead he reached around her and unlocked the door. With hands clasped together they walked inside and she beamed as the room lit up around them. Everything from the lights to the noise and especially to the feel of him next to her felt like home. When their hands separated she slipped off the ring and placed it in his vest pocket. Without taking his eyes off her face the Doctor raised her hand and kissed the finger where the ring had been. Clara mouthed thank you before she turned in the direction of the wardrobe. The cocktail dress and heels needed to be exchanged for the more sensible dress and shoes she had on before their wedding adventure was announced. Even after changing she felt the memories of the night wrapped tightly around her. None of it could be easily shed and discarded on the floor of the wardrobe and she was glad to carry those feelings with her as returned to the console room and pressed forward to whatever the future held for them. 


End file.
